


Lauren Tanner, Gymnast

by DaughterOfApollo14



Category: Make It or Break It
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s01e01 Pilot (Make It or Break It), Gen, Lauren Tanner-centric, POV Lauren Tanner, Women's Artistic Gymnastics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21524101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfApollo14/pseuds/DaughterOfApollo14
Summary: Lauren's thoughts when she's placed fourth during the competition in the pilot
Kudos: 1





	Lauren Tanner, Gymnast

Lauren Tanner looked on in shock as her flowers were taking away and given to the new girl. Sure, she had made a mistake, lost concentration for a minute and had fallen. That didn’t mean the Marty’s new pet project was suddenly better than her. In any real competition, this wouldn’t have happened. You can’t just take your second vault whenever you want to! The competition was over! Awards had already been handed out. And even if Emily could have taken her second vault, her score should have been averaged. Even with her fall, Lauren would have still definitely outscored that average.

She was so sick of not being taken seriously. Everyone just considered her the Bitch of the beam. Consistently on every team, but never the shining star. She faded away into a two-dimensional caricature next to perfect little happy Kaylie and focused perfectionist Payson. As if they were the only ones who wanted this, who had sacrificed their childhood for this. And now Emily had joined their gym, Emily who had been training on playgrounds and at the YMCA, who had no experience with real competition, who hadn’t sacrificed her normal childhood toiling away after a dream that sometimes seemed impossible. Marty’s attention would become even more divided and he had already shown his preference towards this new girl. How could Lauren ever win Olympic gold, if it often felt like not even her coach believed she could do it?

So she blurted out that Kaylie had been seeing Carter, and she probably shouldn’t have done that. Kaylie was her friend, even if she had secretly started dating the guy she knew Lauren had been in love with for years. But she was so angry, at everyone who was currently in this gym. At Emily, who had for some reason placed above her. At Marty, who had let her, who had bent the rules in a way that had placed Lauren in fourth place. Even at Payson, who had always put gymnastics and its rules above everything, yet hadn’t protested at all at this blatant bending of them. And yes, at Kaylie, who is supposed to be her best friend but also hadn’t protested, who had started dating the guy she knew her best friend loved.

She blurted it out, because how was it fair that Kaylie placed second and Lauren didn’t even make the top three, when Kaylie had been breaking the rules for months now. If she was so willing to break them, she should also be willing to accept the punishment.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short piece I wrote a year or two ago while I was angry. It's very short and never really got finished. I posted it anyway, because the point where I ended it does feel like a good stopping point. I might expand on it at some point if I get the inspiration for it


End file.
